Amine blend accelerators for polyoxyalkylenepolyamine cured epoxy resins

Abstract

Provided herein are amine blends which may be used in place of N-aminoethyl piperazine as accelerator in the curing reaction of epoxy resins.

1. In a process for producing a cured epoxy polymer comprising the step of combining a polyepoxy with a polyamine, wherein the improvement comprises combining the polyepoxy and the polyamine with one another in the presence of an accelerator blend that comprises 4-(3-aminopropyl)morpholine and 2-(2-aminoethylamino)ethanol, and wherein said polyamine comprises a polyoxyalkylene polyalkylpolyamine of the formula: 
                 
 
       in which R 1  and R 2  are each independently selected from the group consisting of: hydrogen; an alkyl group having 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 carbon atoms, whether straight-chain or branched; and a radical of the formula: 
                 
 
       in which R 3  in each occurrence may be an alkyl group having any number of carbon atoms selected from 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6, straight-chain or branched; R 4  in each occurrence is a straight-chain or branched alkyl bridging group having 1,2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 carbon atoms; Z is a hydroxy group or alkyl group containing 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 carbon atoms, straight-chain or branched; q is any integer between 0 and 400; and wherein X is any of:
 i) a hydroxy group or an alkyl group having any number of carbon atoms selected from 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6; or  
 ii) a group 
                 
 
  in which R 5  and R 6  are each independently selected from the group consisting of: hydrogen; an alkyl group having 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 carbon atoms, whether straight-chain or branched; or 
                 
 
 
       as defined above in which Z is a hydroxy group or an alkoxy group having 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 carbon atoms, and in which R 7  is a straight-chain or branched alkylene bridging group having 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 carbon atoms; or
 iii) a moiety of the formula: 
                 
 
 
       in which R 10 , R 11 , R 14 , and R 15  are each independently selected from the group of: hydrogen; an alkyl group having 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 carbon atoms, straight-chain or branched; the moiety 
                 
 
       as defined above in which Z is a hydroxy or alkoxy group having 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 carbon atoms; R 8  and R 12  are each independently alkyl groups having 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 carbon atoms, straight-chain or branched; R 9 , R 13 , and R 21  are each independently selected from a straight-chain or branched alkyl bridging linkage having 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 carbon atoms; R 16 , R 17 , R 18 , R 19 , and R 20  are each independently selected from hydrogen or an alkyl group having 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 carbon atoms; d is 0 or 1; a is an integer between 0 and 100, with the proviso that when X is a moiety of the formula given in iii) above, b and c may each independently be any integer in the range of 0 to 390, and the sum of a+b+c is any number between 2 and 400.